Powerful
by Wakkowarnerlover
Summary: Dennis the Rabbit has returned to the agency to come after what was predicted to be the most powerful agent- a baby platypus named Palmer, who Perry discovers is actually his own son. Now Perry must fight to protect the baby... as well as himself and the agency. (Please excuse the p in front of breaks, I will fix it later, still figuring this site out)
1. Chapter 1

The baby platypus stepped into the red paint. He waddled off of the paint tray, making tiny red footprints across the O.W.C.A's freshly polished floors.

Perry was sitting a few feet away from Baby Palmer, absorbed in his book. He'd found it during his stay at Disney a week ago.

"Bwurgah." Palmer said. He climbed onto Perry's lap.

Perry looked down. "Oh no." He gazed in horror at the red-dotted floor. "Naughty, Palmer. Very naughty."

"Dawin." Said Palmer.

"No, this is not a drawing. This is a mess." Perry picked up Palmer and went to find a mop.

It seemed like he had to watch Palmer all the time. And as far as Perry knew, he and Palmer weren't even related.

Palmer dangled his feet. Red drops fell on the floor.

Perry opened the door to the supply closet.

Darren the duck was already in there, looking through some boxes. He gave Perry a friendly smile. "Pinky making another horror movie?" He pointed at Palmer's paws.

"No, Palmer was making 'art'." Perry said. "I need a mop."

"Well, good luck finding one. The last one got EATEN by Palmer. I don't know if Monogram ever bought a new one."

"You're trouble, you know that?" Perry whispered to Palmer.

"Dawin!" Said Palmer.

Darren grinned. "Did he just say Darren?"

"Yeah. Here, since you two are such good friends, would you mind taking Pal for a while?"

"Where's his mom?"

"Heck if I know. Just watch him." Perry dropped Palmer into Darren's wings.

"Mooshie." Palmer stuck his paw on Darren's face.

Perry ran down the hall… and right into Agent B.

Agent B, known as Brandon the bulldog, was one of the most important security agents who worked at O.W.C.A. Perry had encountered him a couple times before, once when Brandon had tried to handcuff him, and again when Brandon had tried to kill him.

They didn't really have much of a relationship.

Perry stood up, brushed himself off, and saluted.

Brandon didn't return the gesture. "Why were you running, Agent?"

"I needed to find a mop."

"Was this time-sensitive?"

"Yeah, kind of. Paint drying, you know?"

Brandon glanced at Perry's bottom half, which was covered in red pawprints.

"Have you been fooling around?"

"Nah."

Brandon glared at him.

"I mean no."

Brandon didn't move.  
"No… sir?"  
Brandon leaned in close to Perry's face. "What PAINT?"

"Red paint. Carl was painting. He left some out, Pal stepped in it…" Perry gave a nervous laugh. "Man, you're a tall guy, aren't you?"  
Brandon stepped back. "Watch where you're going next time." He strode away.

Perry would have been mad in the past if an agent had treated him that way, but he knew more about the security agents' jobs now. It wasn't exactly the thrill of a lifetime. And there was no joking allowed if you were a security agent.

Being a field agent was much better.

Perry went into the bathroom, grabbed a few paper towels, and headed back into O.W.C.A's main room. He started to rub off the Pal pawprints.

They didn't even smear.

Perry looked at the paper towels, still clean as ever. Then he turned toward the paint tray.

Next to the tray sat a paint bucket, with the words "Paint- a lovely permanent quick-drying red!" printed innocently on its front.

"Great." Perry muttered. The paint on Palmer's feet would rub off in a day or so. On the floor… It'd probably never come off.

On the bright side, if you had to have paint all over your floor, having cute little platypus pawprints were way better than ugly old splatters.

He just hoped he wouldn't have to worry about rogue agent Dennis on top of everything else. He'd been threatening to get Palmer since before he was born. Palmer was apparently going to be really powerful, according to a couple psychic animals Dennis had talked to.

Perry wished Dennis would leave the kid alone. He couldn't even talk yet.

Monogram entered the room and stared straight at the floor.

"Carl's been painting again?"

Perry shrugged.

"He just so happened to feel this need to paint pawprints on the floor that look very similar to YOURS?"

Perry shook his head. He held up his hands.

"AHA! I've caught you red-han…" Monogram stopped. "Your hands are clean."

Perry pointed at his lap.

"Ah. So this is Palmer's doing, then? I'll remind Carl not to leave his painting things out…"

Perry watched Monogram leave, then pulled out his videophone. He dialed a number.

Poppy, a fellow agent, appeared on the screen. "Hey, Perry."

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the park. Does Palmer need anything?"

"He NEEDS you to take him with you so that he doesn't cause any more damage here!"  
"He's a little angel, isn't he?"

"Emphasis on 'little'. He's more in the devil category."

"What did he do this time?"

"He ate the mop, made permanent red pawprints all over the floor, chewed up Monogram's newspaper, drooled on Carl's glasses…"

"Cut him some slack, Perry. He's only a baby."

Perry smiled a little. "He is a cutie. I'm really attached to the little guy. He's just hard to keep track of, that's all."

"Can't you keep track of him just a smidge longer? I'll be right there, I promise. Give me five minutes."

"Be careful. Look out for rogues."  
"I can take care of myself."

The screen went blank.

Darren entered the room. His feathers were completely black.

"Palmer discovered a timebomb." He said quietly.

Palmer padded in happily after Darren. "Ka-boomie!" He said.

"His mom's coming." Perry said.

Darren patted Palmer on the head. "He looks like you."  
"He does not."

"I've seen baby pictures of you. Palmer's like your clone or something."

Perry turned his head to the side to get a better look.

Palmer imitated him.

"He does look pretty smart, I'll give him that." Perry said.

"Megajslmdplookie." Palmer said.

p***

Dennis stared through his binoculars, high up in a tree.

He could see the entire tri-state area from up here. Well, probably not, but that was what he liked to believe.

Patience wasn't something that came very easily to him, but he knew that Palmer wasn't going to be any use if he was still stupid. He had to wait until Palmer knew how to fight.

That was when Dennis would take over the training.

With Palmer on his side, they would be able to take over the O.W.C.A easily.

Then the agency would pay for all the pain they'd caused him.

Dennis sighed and put down his binoculars. He wished for the hundredth time that Palmer was ready for his training.

"Soon he will be, though." Dennis whispered to himself. "Soon he will be, and I will be his trainer."

p***

"Come on now, Pal." Monogram held out a plastic cup in front of Palmer. "Spit in the cup."  
Palmer was very confused. He chomped down on the cup.

Perry stood watching. He didn't like doing this while Poppy wasn't here. She had every right to find out who Palmer's father was when everyone else did.

"Carl, how can I get through to him?"

Perry grabbed the cup from Monogram and held it out to Palmer. He spit on the ground.

"Gross, Agent P." Monogram said.

Palmer caught on, though. He spit into the cup.

Monogram took the cup back from Perry and stuck it into what Carl liked to call the Gene Machine.

"We have to wait until it loads." Monogram said.

Perry looked back at Palmer, who was chewing thoughtfully on Carl's sneaker. Carl wasn't paying any attention.

"Here we go." Monogram said. "All right, his mother is Poppy, but we knew that. Father…"

Monogram froze.

Perry hid his face in his hands. Monogram had frozen like that before. When he'd found Perry's father.

The last thing Palmer needed was a rogue parent.

"What is it, sir?" Carl asked. "Another rogue?"

"No." Monogram stood up and turned to face Perry.

"Congratulations, Agent P." He said. "You're a father."


	2. Chapter 2

Perry stayed stretched out on the sofa.

Palmer tried to do the same on the floor, but he couldn't quite figure out how his feet were supposed to go.

"So." Perry said.

"Makooga." Said Palmer.

"You're related to me."

"Bechangia."

"You're my son."

Palmer looked up at him curiously.

Perry sighed. "I wasn't expecting that, you know. I'd always planned I'd have a litter when I was ten."

Palmer rolled over onto his back and drooled on the floor.

Poppy burst in. "There you are, Palmer. How ya doing?"

"Blooshmie!" Palmer jumped up and trotted over to his mother.

Poppy gave him a hug and turned to face Perry. "…Oh. You found out."

Perry shrugged. "I guess so. Why didn't you tell me?"

"At first I thought you knew. But you always seemed so stressed. I didn't want to freak you out. Didn't you at least suspect it was you?"

"No."

"Well, you should have known, I mean…"

"Yeah, yeah. I just didn't know if you knew anyone else."  
"The only male platypuses I know are my father and brother." She stroked Palmer. "You're not upset, are you?"  
"No. It was just kind of sudden, that's all."

"When you found out… were you okay?"

"Well, after I fainted, I hit my head on a chair and needed an ice pack, but the bump's really small."

Poppy gave him Palmer.

Perry cuddled him. "What's up, Pal?"

"Badinkydink."

Poppy grinned. "He said his first word!"

"Badinkydink is not a word."

"It is. It's what those little blue guys are called. They live in chocolate rivers. And if you believe that, I'll throw in a free toaster."

"I prefer a vacuum." Perry said.

Poppy glanced fondly at Palmer. "You want to walk him around a little? He's never left the O.W.C.A. He'd like to see the outside."

p***

Palmer did like the outside.

He had leapt around in a happy circle for at least a minute, and then lay down in the grass and sniffed the air.

A soft breeze ruffled his thin fur.

Perry lay down next to him. It was a lot nicer outside than it had been in a long time.

He closed his eyes. The sounds of birds and the gentle wind started to lull him to sleep.

Suddenly he realized.

The breeze hadn't felt this good for months.

Perry opened his eyes and sat up.

This wasn't a summer breeze.

This was… a fall breeze.

Summer was over.

Phineas and Ferb would be going back to school soon.

"Come on, Palmer." Perry grabbed Palmer and went home.

p***

It was just as he'd feared. Phineas and Ferb were sorting out their school things.

Palmer escaped from Perry's grasp and waddled over to them. He started to chew on a notebook.

Perry ran after him.

"Oh, there you are, Perry." Said Phineas. He pulled the notebook out of Palmer's mouth. "Who's this?"  
He was quiet for a moment.

"A baby platypus!" He said happily. "Mom, dad, Perry laid an egg!"

"What?" Called Linda from the kitchen.

"Look, Ferb, Perry has a baby!" Phineas patted Palmer's head.

"Kplosh." Palmer chattered.

Perry stepped into the middle of the school supplies. He didn't want Phineas and Ferb to go. It was always so lonely.

"We have to sort this out, Perry. School starts tomorrow." Phineas picked Perry up and put him down next to Palmer.  
Perry gave a protesting chirp.

Palmer went over to the TV and pressed his paw down on a toy.

"You're simply the greatest!" Said Carlos the caring clown.

Palmer growled at it and started to chew it up.

"That's my boy." Perry muttered.

p***

Perry brought Palmer back into the agency.

Darren was waiting for him, looking hurt. "Why didn't you tell me you had a son?"

"I didn't know he was my son, okay?"

"How could you NOT know?"

"Drop the subject, please."

"You're so lucky." Darren grumbled. "There are hundreds of ducks at the park and not one's interested in me. And you've got a mate and a kid…"

"Poppy's just a friend."  
"She's a mate, Perry."

"Whatever. I just don't want that to change, okay? We're still friends."

"Watch your child."

"Palmer, NO!" Perry ran over to him.

Palmer was lazily chewing a wire.

"No! That's very naughty! You don't know what it's attached…"

The lights went out.

"…To." Perry finished.

"Naw-tee." Palmer said.

Perry felt around for the wire. "Hey, Darren, you know if there's a way to fix this?"

"Nah. Try sticking the wire together."

"There! Did that make the lights come back on?"

"Gee, I don't know, Perry. Can YOU see anything?"

"I can do without the sarcasm, Darren."

"Naw-tee!"

"Yes, that was very naughty, Palmer. Wait… I think I found the emergency lightswitch… AKK! Nope, that was the hot cocoa dispenser… man, that's hot… okay, got it…"

The room became lit dimly.

Darren was sitting on the floor. Perry was drenched in hot chocolate.

"Where's Palmer?" He asked.

They heard very loud music playing in the party room.

"I think he found the radio." Said Darren.

p***

Perry watched sadly as the school bus drove away from the house. Then he went back to O.W.C.A.

This was annoying. He hated it when the boys were gone. And summer was a whole year away now.

A few agents were sitting at a table playing cards. Devon the dog was rolled over on the floor.

Carrie the cat was watching a princess movie on the TV.

Palmer was throwing plastic blocks at unsuspecting agents.

Perry went over to Poppy, who was watching the card players. "Palmer's unattended."

"He completed his throwing training today." She said.

"I can see that. Apparently he's allowed to make up his own targets."

"It's helping the agents with their reflexes."

"What's Carrie watching?"

"Some Disney movie."

"Huh. I noticed that Disney overuses the words magic, believe and wish."

"Don't forget dream."

"Remember that castle show we saw there?" Perry asked. "They used all those words in one sentence alone. 'If you believe in magic, then the dreams that you are wishing for will come true!'"

"I think they dare each other to write those." Poppy said.

Palmer nailed Billy the beaver with a banana.

"It's a good thing he's cute." Perry observed.

"Let him be." Poppy nudged Perry playfully.

He shoved her back.

They started to play fight. Perry enjoyed this. Poppy was almost up to his level, so she was a challenge to take on.

Poppy grabbed him and pinned him on the floor. Perry kicked her off and threw her against the wall.

Poppy recovered quickly and leapt on him again, knocking out his wind. Perry tried to sit up.

"I win." Poppy said triumphantly.

"Only because… I was letting… you!" Perry gasped.

"Sure."

Perry coughed a few more times and grinned at her. "I'll beat you next time."

"Palmer would have enjoyed Disney." Poppy looked toward her son. "I kind of wish he'd hatched there."

"I can see him now, throwing marshmallows at the campfire guy."

"His throwing isn't doing any harm."

The TV suddenly burst open as a plastic cow slammed into the screen.

"My movie!" Carrie wailed.

Palmer clapped his hands with glee. "Cow-boom!"

"Palmer, NO!" Poppy said, running over to him.

"I've broken a TV before." Said Alan the alligator, who put his cards down. "I thought it was a snack."

"I tried to go inside an entrance in our TV once. I had a running start. I just didn't know I was supposed to open up the screen first." Perry said.

"Were you okay?"

"Yeah. The TV wasn't, though."

"The TV busting gene must run in agents." Alan said.

Poppy handed Palmer to Perry. "Hang onto him for a sec. I have to go get the spare TV from the basement."

"There's a spare TV?"

"Tons of them. Apparently they break every year."

"Aha!" Said Alan.

Poppy gave him a confused look and left.

"Schooshie." Said Palmer. He pulled Perry's hat off and started chewing on it.

"You're trouble." Perry said.

"Blagdorfie." Palmer drooled on the hat.

"You'll get a fedora of your own to chew on one day. But that's mine."

Palmer smiled.

Perry put the slimy fedora back on his head. "Want a sandwich? There's some over there on the snack table. Yummier than hats."

Palmer yawned. He curled up in Perry's arms and closed his eyes.

Perry felt his heart soften. He walked over to the couch and sat down. This little guy sure was cute.

Peter the panda sat down next to him. "Monogram gave me tacos."

"That's surprising. Usually he saves them for himself."

"I know. Except now, I guess."

Suddenly there was a huge crash. The ceiling caved in.

The agents scattered to corners of the room as bits and pieces fell.

Darren grabbed a chair and held it over his head, ready for attack.

A shadowy figure sat in the middle of the smoke. As it settled, Perry recognized him.

Dennis.

Dennis held up a small raygun. "Very convenient. Everyone is right where Fir said they would be. Now, Perry the platypus, if you'd just hand me over what I want, no one gets hurt."


	3. Chapter 3

Perry stayed where he was on the couch. Peter was standing up, holding a cushion to shield himself.

Palmer had woken up and was staring intently at Dennis. He was aware something was wrong.

"Come on, Perry. I have a schedule to keep." Dennis hissed.

Perry clutched Palmer tighter and backed up a little. "You can't have him, Dennis."

"You've always been so stubborn." Dennis began to approach them. "I didn't want to use any force, you see… Seeing his father blow up would certainly scar the little one, wouldn't it?"

"You leave him alone, you hear? He's only a baby."

"I have no intention of hurting him, I've already told you that. I'm sure I did. You, however, I don't mind hurting."  
Dennis leapt at him with a sudden burst of speed, knocked him down, and grabbed Palmer from him.

Palmer started to cry.

"Hush." Dennis cooed. "You'll be an amazing rogue."

Palmer continued to wail.

Perry felt anger building steadily and quickly in him. He'd only felt that once, when Platyborg had been about to hit Phineas and Ferb.

"You give him BACK, Dennis!"

"Why should I? You're just going to train him to love this place. He needs to learn the truth."

Perry charged at Dennis, who sidestepped at the last minute and tripped him. Perry landed on the hard floor.

The other agents ran to help.

"HEY!" Dennis shouted. He turned the raygun toward Perry. "Don't move. Any of you. Or I'll fry him."

The agents backed away.

"Fight him!" Perry urged. He tried to get up, but his head was still throbbing from the first blow.

The agents all shook their heads.

Dennis turned to leave. Palmer started howling.

"Oh, shut up." Dennis growled.

Perry jumped up and pulled Dennis over with strength he hadn't been aware of. Dennis fell over, releasing Palmer, who ran and hid underneath the card table.

Perry slammed Dennis against the wall.

"What…" Dennis gasped. "How did you…"

"You DON'T hurt Palmer, understand? He NEVER did anything to you!" Perry thrust him against the wall again, cracking the paint.

Palmer crawled out from under the table. "Dad-die." He said.

Perry turned to look at him.

Dennis took advantage of the distraction and punched Perry in the stomach. Perry flew back and hit his head on the table.

Palmer picked up his toy block and threw it at Dennis' head.

"Ack!" Dennis shouted. "Watch it, you little…"

Palmer began picking up bigger objects and throwing them. Then he started to throw some of the nearest agents, who were protesting greatly.

The agents and objects landed on Dennis. He shoved his way to the top of the pile.

"I'll be back." He snarled. "I'll get that little wretch. And I'll get all of YOU!"

He slipped on his jetpack and blasted out of the hole in the roof.

Palmer waddled over to Perry and licked his face.

"Good work." Perry said weakly.

Poppy arrived with the TV. She looked around the room in horror.

"We were attacked." Alan said.

"Perry, are you okay?" Poppy dropped the TV on the floor and ran to him.

Perry sat up, still a little dizzy. "Y… yeah. I'm fine."

"You're bleeding!"

"Huh?" Perry put a hand to his head. He drew it away and looked at it. It was stained red.

"You're hurt."

"I'm fine. Palmer actually saved me."

"Pimallie." Said Palmer.

"I'll get Monogram." Poppy stood up.

"I'm okay, Poppy. Honest. Just a little dizzy."

"Who hurt you?"

"Dennis." Said Devon. "He's after Palmer, for some reason."

Poppy looked over at Palmer. "Is he okay?"

Perry tried to look. "I think he's fine."

"Lie down." Poppy said.

"I'm okay."

"You're hurt. Lie down."

Perry sighed and lay back down. His head did hurt a lot.

Poppy picked up Palmer and stroked him. "Let's go find Monogram. Devon, make sure he stays lying down."

"Woopie dawin naw-tee." Said Palmer.

Perry closed his eyes. How did he actually manage to take on Dennis like that? He'd never been that strong, he was sure of it.

And now he was exhausted.

p***

Perry put Palmer down into his baby crib and handed him his bottle.

"Dad-die dad-die dad-die." Palmer said.

"Rest up, g'night, all that stuff." Perry said.

Palmer squeezed his bottle. It squirted on the wall.

"And milk goes inside Baby Palmer, okay? Not on the furniture."

"Blurbah." Palmer stuck his bottle in his mouth.

"You be good now. Daddy's going home. Mommy's asleep over there on the bed, kay?"

"Kai."

Perry went over to the elevator and rode it up.

His head was feeling much better now.

He jumped into his backyard, pulled off his hat, and went back to being a mindless pet.

Phineas was sitting under the tree, writing something.

Perry chattered and put a paw on his lap.

"Oh, there you are, Perry. Carlos better still be intact."

He was, but Perry wished he wasn't. He'd exploded Carlos the caring clown in the toilet before. The new Carlos was harder to rid of. Perry wasn't allowed in the bathroom anymore.

He'd tried everything. When Lawrence had been making cake, Perry had jumped up on a chair and plopped Carlos in the batter. Unfortunately when Lawrence mixed the batter, it had said, "You take such good care of me!" revealing Carlos' whereabouts.

"You hungry?" Phineas asked.

Perry chattered again.

"Okay." Phineas put his paper and pencil down and went inside.

Perry followed him into the kitchen.

Phineas started to spoon his food into his dish. "Ew. Ew. Ew. EWWW."

Perry didn't see what Phineas found so disgusting about mashed worms. They were delicious. But every time he fed Perry, he'd make a face.

Perry smiled a little, remembering the time when he was a younger and there wasn't already-mixed platypus food. Phineas REALLY didn't like having to mix it up himself.

"Here you go, boy." Phineas put the bowl on the ground.

Happily, Perry started eating. He had been really hungry all day. Usually Monogram kept Waldo the worm separate from Perry and Clara the chicken, but today they'd been in the same room for quite a while, and Perry had started to get a little antsy.

After Phineas left, Perry opened up the fridge to get out the chocolate syrup. He squirted it on top of his food and resumed eating.

That was a nice flavor.

Maybe for dessert, he'd eat the infamous Carlos the Caring Clown toy.

p***

Percy was bored.

The Danville zoo had been nice when he'd first moved there. But he hadn't been smart back then. He remembered when he used to think that each day was a miracle and that his offspring were magical.

The only things he had for entertainment were a small red ball, his mate, Pansy, and a whole litter of platypuses whose brains weren't exactly good at processing things.

"I wonder how Perry and Penny are doing." He muttered.

Pansy overheard. "I hope they are eating whipped cream."

"I hope Dennis is leaving them alone."

"The mean bunny had better not try and hurt my magical egg platypuses again." Pansy growled.

"Do you think I should call one of them?"

"They are very far away. Will they hear you?"

"On the phone, Pansy. You remember the phone."

"Yes. The magical box they are inside."

Percy sighed. He wished he could understand why Pansy had decided to give up her intelligence. She had said it was keeping her from being happy.

"Can we make pancakies?" Asked Pablo, ambling over to where Percy sat.

"We don't have any batter."

"No mooshy pancakie stuff?"

"Nope."

Pablo frowned. "Pancakies are yummy."

p***

Perry was trying to concentrate. He really was. But he had a few issues with his attention span.

"Agent P, focus!" Carl said. "I'm not very good with this thing." He adjusted the hold he had on the Electricitygun. "Monogram said you need to dodge at least thirty shots in a row before we're done."

"There's a butterfly outside." Perry insisted. But he turned back to Carl.

Dodging was what he did best. But if it wasn't in a life-or-death situation, his mind liked to wander.

"Okay." Carl aimed and fired a shot.

Perry leapt over the bolt, which hit the wall.

Carl fired some more. Perry dodged perfectly.

"You got a letter." Darren said, entering the room.

Perry ducked as a bolt sizzled over his head. "Who did?"

"You." Darren held out a thick envelope.

Perry took it and stared at it, then gave a yelp as electricity surged through his veins.

"Sorry, Agent P!" Carl said. "We'll have to start over."

Perry glared at Carl and tore open the envelope. He pulled out a sheet of paper and read.

DO YOU SMELL SMOKE?

Perry showed it to Darren, who shrugged. "Who would take the time to mail a letter with only four words that don't even seem to be saying anything important?"

Carrie rushed inside. "Fire!" she said.

"WHAT?" Darren and Perry shouted in unison.

"No, sorry, I mean fire! On the TV! Not here. Come look!"

They followed her into the main room. The television was turned onto the news. Almost all the agents were crowded around it.

"…Has anything this intense happened in Danville in a long time." The reporter was saying. "Firemen claim this fire was set on purpose."

"What's on fire?" Perry asked Peter the panda.

"Some school down in Danville." Peter said.

Perry stared at the image of the burning building. "Wait… isn't that…"

"I know that school." Darren said. "It's near Danville Park, isn't it?"

Perry glanced back down at his letter. Now he knew what it meant.

"Dennis sent this." He said quietly.

"Are you okay?" Darren asked. "You look really pale."

"I have to go." Perry dropped the letter and ran out the door.

p***

Perry was at the school a few minutes later.

Only a section of the building was gone.

Fearfully, he looked around in the crowd of children. Where were they? Were they okay?

Finally he caught sight of them. Phineas and Ferb were standing by Isabella, near the caution tape that surrounded the school.

They were okay.

Perry breathed a sigh of relief.

That had been close.

Too close.


	4. Chapter 4

Perry watched his owners for a little longer, and then turned to go home.

"Well, I had a feeling you were going to show up." Said a tree next to him.

Perry looked up. Dennis sat on one of the branches.

"How DARE YOU?" Perry growled. He tried desperately to climb up.

"A shame, really." Dennis said. "That such a tragic… accident would happen to such an innocent school."

"What is WITH YOU? You're fight's with me! Not them!"

Dennis shrugged. "I gave you a fair warning."

"Sure, 'do you smell smoke' is obvious code for 'I just burned your owner's school down while they were in it.'"

"Sorry. I'll be more specific next time." Dennis waved him away.

"What do you have to gain from this?!"

"Well, have you ever heard of the phrase, 'between a rock and a hard place'?"

"I've heard it, yeah."

"I'm putting you there." Dennis smiled meanly. "The boys mean so much to you, don't they? So, you want them safe, and I want Palmer. It's easy to see what you should do now."

"I'm not giving you Palmer." Perry snarled.

Dennis sighed. "That is your choice. However, it would be just terrible if more accidents like this unexpectedly happened."

"You won't hurt them."

"You're not the boss of me. But, if you like, you could accept my deal. Palmer for the boys' safety."

Perry took a deep breath.

"Tough call, isn't it? Think about it." Dennis pulled out a grappling hook and tossed it onto a nearby building. "You can wait with Palmer at the rogue alley in twenty-four hours. Or you can wait for my next letter." He swung away.

Perry tried to calm himself. Why did Dennis have to be so smart?

Maybe he could gather all the agents to jump Dennis tomorrow. They could arrest him.

Perry trudged back home. He'd make a plan. He'd make sure Dennis never hurt his owners.

And he'd make sure that Palmer stayed where he belonged. With the O.W.C.A.

p***

"I'll try to send a squad out to the alley, Perry, but I'm not certain if we'll be able to catch Dennis."

Perry scribbled down on his notepad: We have to. My owners are in danger.

He showed it to Monogram.

"I know you're very attached to them, but we can't risk our agents. The best we can do is send out a few SS SN men to round him up. Perhaps they'll be able to get him."

Perry sighed. He got down from his chair and went over to Palmer.

Palmer was in the corner of Perry's lair, lying on a baby blue blanket and watching Ducky Momo on a little portable TV. He was surrounded with soft toys and bouncy balls.

"Bloo." He said when he saw Perry. He drooled on the blanket.

"Hey, buddy. Whatcha been up to?"

"Moofie."

Perry smiled a little. It was like looking at himself as a baby. "What's moofie, little guy?"

"Sploogia."

"Yeah." Perry went over to his closet and pulled out two boxes.

"Watcha doin'?" Asked Pinky, coming into the lair.

"Making Palmer a box."

"What?"

Perry pointed at one of the boxes. "I have one. It's filled with all my baby stuff and some other stuff that reminds me of stuff."

"That's a lot of stuff."

"Like this." Perry pulled a teal blanket out of his box. "This was my baby blanket. I fell asleep on this the first night I was with Phineas and Ferb."

"That's cute." Pinky said.

"And this was my favorite tennis ball." Perry held up a chewed-up tennis ball. "I loved these things."

"Why does the box smell?"

"Oh, my sandwich!" Perry said happily. He pulled out a moldy gray sandwich.

"What… is it?"

"I think it's lettuce and tuna fish. I'm not really sure though." Perry smiled. "See that bite taken out of it? Two years ago, I made myself this sandwich. I was waiting for Monogram to call me in for surgery… I was getting my tonsils out. So while I waited, I took a bite out of this thingy. Then Monogram took it away because I wasn't supposed to eat or drink. Then after the operation he gave it back, but I didn't want to eat it."

"So you kept the sandwich for two years because it's the first one you ever made?"

"Heck, no. It's my tonsil sandwich. It just reminds me of that time."

"It smells terrible! It's gonna ruin your whole box!"

"Well, it's the last thing I ate when I had tonsils. So be quiet." Perry put the sandwich back in the box.

"Throw it out."

"The box?"

"The two-year-old tuna sandwich!"

"I am NOT throwin' out Steve."

"You named the sandwich."

"Yes."

Pinky took a deep breath. "Okay then. What else is in the box?"

"Just a few photographs and a statue of Ducky Momo." Perry patted the other box. "This box will be Palmer's."

"Just so you know, I'm not going near that box if you stick Palmer's first baby food in it."  
"Understandable." Perry closed his box and shoved it back into his closet. "I can't start his box yet, though. I have to wait until he gets done with something. He's still using all his baby stuff."

"You could put a picture in."

"I could. Do you still have that picture you took of him when he was an egg?"

"Of course! We put that toy hat on him!"

"And then Poppy got mad."

"Good times." Pinky sighed.

Palmer stepped on the TV remote. The TV switched to a different channel.

"O M G Jessica, we like totally have to get Frank to notice us!" Squealed a teenage girl in a miniskirt.

"That's stupid." Perry grabbed the remote and switched the channel back to Ducky Momo.

"Totallie." Said Palmer.

Perry laughed a little. "You said it, buddy."

p***

"The movie's starting!" Devon said excitedly.

"Pass the popcorn." Perry told Pinky.

"This isn't your first bag of popcorn, is it? You're not going to put it in your box and name it Gerald, right?"  
"Quit mocking Steve!"

"Who's Steve?" asked Carrie.

"Perry's sandwich." said Pinky.

"Guys, be quiet! It's starting!" Devon whispered.

The big screen lit up. A man stood on a curb.

"I see…" He croaked. "I see it now, Lydia…"

Perry snorted.

"Stop laughing! This is a very emotional scene!" said Devon.

"I'm not laughing! I had to sneeze!"

"It's coming for me…" The man continued.

"I'm getting inspired." Pinky said dreamily.

"Oh, Lydia, why? Why are we born into this world? Why am I here?"

"To bore people with your starring role." Perry answered.

"Hush!" Devon leaned forward in his seat.

"Lydia… if only I could see your golden hair again… if only I could see your amazing firey eyes…"

"If only I could see 'The End' appear on the screen…"

"Stop it, Perry!"

Carrie yawned. "I'm bored. When is something going to happen?"

"Watch!" Devon said. "He's about to do something!"

The man reached up… and wiped a tear from his eye.

"Such action." Perry muttered.

"This is a five-star movie." Devon said.

"What did they put in the critic's popcorn?" Perry asked.

The man onscreen got down on his knees. "OH, LYDIA, WILL I NEVER SEE YOUR SWEET FACE AGAIN?"

Perry opened his mouth to comment, but Devon shushed him.

p***

"That movie was lame." Pinky said as they left.

"My favorite part was the last part." Perry said.

"You mean the part when Jasper discovered that Lydia had turned herself into a rock?" Devon asked.

"No, the credits. It meant the movie was over."

"I liked the movie." Said Carrie. "It didn't have any scary parts."

"Or any interesting parts, either." Perry said.

"Fine, you hated the movie, I get it." Devon grumbled. "I just thought you'd want to get out a little bit. You've been bummed lately."

"Just have a lot on my mind."

"Palmer?"

"Yeah, in a way."

"You're so lucky." Devon sighed. "I've wanted puppies ever since I was three. It's just so cool to give life to something."

Perry smiled. "Yeah. I get this happy feeling every time I see him."

"He's with Poppy now?"

"Yep. She keeps him with her in the O.W.C.A when I'm not around."

"He's really cute." Pinky said.

"Looks like you." Said Devon.

Perry shrugged. "Yeah…"

"Shush." Pinky said under his breath. "I hear something."

The agents ducked behind a garbage can. Two voices were audible.

"I told you he was going to double-cross you! If you want this to work, you have to listen to me!"

"I'm powerful. I don't need to worry about anything. Those men couldn't get me."

"But what if they had?"

"They didn't. What's my next move?"

"Listen to yourself, so dependent on me. You're nothing without me."

"I managed fine without you. I just want to know what I should do next!"

"You managed fine, sure. All of your plans have failed. You trust people too much."

"He usually gives me whatever I want."

"You can't convince a parent to give up his child. It's common knowledge."  
"Okay, I know that second guy is Dennis." Perry whispered. "Who's the other one?"

"Then what do I do? Fight him for it?"

"It doesn't matter how much you've altered yourself. Your artificial strength is nothing compared to that of an overprotective parent."

"Stop telling me what I CAN'T do, Fir, tell me what I CAN do!"

"You can shut up. Because if I told you now, they'd overhear me."

"What?"

"They're behind that garbage can over there."

"Uh oh." Pinky gulped.

The can was knocked over. The animals leapt out of the way just in time.

"Well, look who decided to show up?" Dennis said sweetly. "You stood me up in that alley."

"You'd better get used to the idea that Palmer isn't falling into your hands, Dennis." Perry retorted. "And I can protect my owners. You've lost."

"Oh no, I haven't. I can only win. Because I'm not one to give up."

"Dennis, don't you remember what made you like this? You had owners of your own. You loved them and felt at home with them. And now you're hurting mine. You're hurting innocent people just like the ones you loved. Can't you see how that doesn't make any sense?"

Dennis leaned close into Perry's face. "The O.W.C.A took me away from my loved ones. I will do whatever it takes to destroy it."

"And I will do whatever it takes to protect MY loved ones." Perry shot back.

Dennis smiled. "Good. If I can't have your owners, and I can't have Palmer, maybe you'd be willing to give me… you."


	5. Chapter 5

The agents gasped.

Perry squinted. "Me?"

"Of course. I'll leave your owners alone. What would be the point, anyway? I only use them to manipulate you. And that kid of yours… You two are worth about the same. You were trained at a relatively young age, and he can't even talk…"

"You say if I go with you, you'll leave my owners and son alone?"

Dennis smiled. "You're smarter than you look, Perry."

"Don't go!" Pinky grabbed Perry's arm. "He's tricking you! Not only that, they might hurt you!"

"I don't have all day." Dennis said.

"Pinky, I have to."

"You don't! We can take him. We could even guard your owners twenty-four hours a day!"

Perry shook Pinky off and stepped forward. "Fine, Dennis."

Dennis nodded. "Wise move. And I didn't even need Fir for this diplomacy."

Fir glowered.

"And you three." Dennis hissed, gesturing toward Carrie, Devon and Pinky. "You all better head home before I count to ten, or… an unfortunate mishap may take place."

Carrie shot away.

Devon and Pinky stayed put.

"Go." Perry told them. "I'll be fine."

"We'll get help." Devon promised.

"I wouldn't." Dennis said coldly.

Once they were gone, Dennis sized Perry up. "Not bad. You're a little skinny, though."

"That's the opposite of what I usually hear."

"I don't really have any plans for you, I'm sorry to say. You're pretty much just a thorn in my side. I might as well fix you."

"Fix?"  
"Come on." Dennis pulled him along.

Perry followed. He was certain Dennis had been intending to kill him on the spot. Why hadn't he?

They came to a small door in the middle of a dark alley. Dennis pulled out some keys and stuck one in the lock.

He swung the door open and shoved Perry in.

It was surprisingly nice on the inside. The walls were decorated with rose wallpaper, and a small bed sat at one corner next to a bedside table with a cheery red lamp. There was a desk and a refrigerator, a ceiling light, and a portable television.

There weren't any windows, though.

"The only people who will come in here will be Courtney or me. Court's a black cat. She'll bring you your meals."

"Huh?"

"I may pay you a visit soon enough. Keep active. Run around a little. But you won't leave this room." Dennis closed the door. Perry heard the key lock it.

It was a pretty good place to be trapped in, he guessed. A lot better than some cage with no snacks.

Perry probably could escape.

But this was the way to keep Palmer safe.

He went over to the bed and crawled under the covers, switching off the ceiling light. Without windows, the place was pitch black.

He felt the fatigue slowly draining from his body. He was exhausted.

He closed his eyes.

p***

Courtney came in the morning.

"I brought food." She slammed the door.

"Waking up is not fun." Perry mumbled.

Court flipped the lightswitch.

The sudden light stung Perry's eyes. He covered them up and waited for them to adjust.

"You can't just be lazy and sleep all day." Court snapped. "You gotta get some exercise."

"It's still dark out. Darkness equals sleepytime."

"It's light. Now get up and eat." Court put a tray down on the desk.

Perry stretched and got up. He drowsily ambled over to the desk and took a bite of cereal.

"Good." Court turned to leave.

"Why is Dennis doing this?"

"You gave yourself up, I recall."

"I thought I'd be dead by now. Not being fed large portions or having a comfortable place to sleep…"

"Who knows. He only told me he had an offer to make you. Keep moving or you'll forget how to fight." She left, locking the door behind her.

Perry looked over his tray. There was the cereal, some milk, fruit… and cake.

"Now we're talkin'." Perry started on the cake.

He couldn't help feeling just a little suspicious. Dennis obviously had some kind of plan.

And how was making Perry happy going to benefit him?

p***

"Let's all calm down." Monogram said.

The animal agents were running back and forth, barking, meowing and howling. Ferdinand the frog didn't even know what was going on, but he was jumping up and down.

Pinky was yapping furiously. He'd obviously wanted to say much more than he could write on a paper.

"I understand, Agent P. Please quiet everyone else down."

Pinky took a deep breath, and then stood on a chair. He gave out a huge yelp.

p***

"QUIET!" Pinky yelled.

The agents all stopped running. They stared at Pinky.

"Does ANYONE HERE even know what this is all about?" Pinky asked.

"Monogram said 'oh no' when he read your note." Carrie said. "That meant something bad happened. So we all decided to panic."

"Listen to what we have to say, and THEN panic." Pinky said. He nodded to Monogram.

Monogram cleared his throat. "Agent P- the platypus Agent P, not agent Pinky, mind you- has given himself up to Dennis."

There was silence.

Then the agents resumed their panicked chaos.

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" Pinky shouted. He looked over at Poppy and Palmer.

Poppy looked devastated. Palmer was chewing on a wire. "Now… the situation was dire. Perry gave himself up to protect his son. And… as far as we know…" He looked down.

"Maybe he's not." Said Peter the panda. "Maybe Dennis is keeping him alive."

Pinky swallowed. "I don't think so."

The agents were silent again.

"Call him." Poppy said.

"What?"

"Call him. He has his videophone on him, doesn't he?"

Pinky hesitated. Then he drew out his own phone and dialed Perry's number.

The agents waited while it rang.

Then… the phone lit up.

"Need something, Pinky?" Perry asked.

The agents cheered. "He's alive!"

"HUSH!" Pinky growled. He looked back at his phone. "Perry, are you okay? What's the situation?"  
"I'm fine. He's feeding me. I'm not really sure what he's gaining from it, but what the heck."

"We'll bust you out. Where are you?"  
"I don't need to get busted out. Palmer's safe as long as I pretend to cooperate."

"We can't just leave you locked up in there! Don't be crazy!"

"It's the only way. I gotta go."

The phone switched off.

"I'm conflicted." Said Ferdinand. "He's obviously right, but… he's needed here."

"I hate the thought of him being cooped up somewhere." Devon agreed. "We should have fought for him."

The lights turned off.

"Palmer!" Poppy scolded. "We don't bite wires in half!"

p***

Perry was watching TV when Dennis opened the door.

"Mind if I ask you something?"

"Nah. Nothing good's on, anyway." Perry switched the TV off and turned to face him.

"You could have escaped by now."

"I chose not to."

"Good choice." Dennis nodded. "I suppose you wonder why I've been keeping you like this."

"That wonder has crossed my mind, yes."  
"You're a good fighter, Perry. You're legendary. One of the best agents. I have been keeping you in shape, keeping you eating right…"

"Yes, because cake is a very healthy food."

"The cake was to make you hyper so you'd run around."

"That makes sense."

"Anyway, I've done all that in hopes that you may fight by the rogues' side if needed." Dennis stared straight into Perry's eyes. "It would be a nice thing in return for your son remaining with the agency."

"I'll think about it." Perry said.

Dennis didn't move.

"I will."

"Of course." Dennis got up. "I'll ask you again tomorrow."

After Dennis had gone, Perry flopped down on the bed. He wouldn't be able to hold out daily. But he couldn't say yes. It was too painful, even if it was a lie.

Palmer was the most important thing right now.

p***

"What are we going to do?" Asked Devon.

"I can't believe you just let Dennis take him like that!" Poppy said. "You should have helped him get away!"

"He was really stubborn." Pinky said. "So we went to get help."

"But he doesn't want it." Devon added. "He always was difficult."

Poppy clenched her fists. "If anything happens to him… I'll kill him."

"Mergia." Said Palmer.

"Hey, he was trying to help your son!" Pinky said.

"What if the thing that happens to him is he gets killed?" Carrie said at the same time.

"It's a figure of speech, Carrie." Devon rolled his eyes. "She means she'll just be really mad at him."

"He's my best friend." Poppy said quietly. "More than that, even, but I feel like he doesn't feel the same way."

"He doesn't." Billy the beaver said, walking by. Billy always spoke his mind.

Poppy frowned. Then she stood up. "Can one of you watch Palmer?"

"Where are you going?" Asked Pinky.

"I'm getting him out of wherever he is." Poppy said.

"He doesn't want us to get him out." Devon said. "That's the whole reason why we had this meeting, to figure out what to do."

"Getting him out is what we should do." Poppy insisted.

p***

Perry crawled under the covers. He was freezing. The autumn chill had come in through a few cracks in the old door.

His blood was probably frozen solid in his veins. His saliva was ice.

Perry curled up to conserve body heat. The covers started to warm him a little.

Footsteps sounded outside. Perry paid them no mind. People walked by all the time. Who cared about the old abandoned wooden door that only an animal could fit through?

Suddenly there was a repeated banging noise against the door.

Perry sat up, his heart beating furiously. He had no weapons, save for his fighting skills.

The door shook with each bang. Finally, with a huge groan, it fell forward.

Perry stared. The moonlight cast a soft glow on someone.

"Bored of this place yet?" Poppy asked.

Perry smiled with relief. "Took you long enough." He said.


	6. Chapter 6

Perry stood up and walked over to the door. "What are you doing here, anyways?"

"Busting you out." Poppy smiled. "You don't want to stay in here forever, right?"

"Heck no. But I have to. Look, Palmer's safe this way."  
"Come on."

"I'm not going."

"Blurbah!" Said a voice. Baby Palmer ran into the room and jumped on the bed.

"You brought him?"

"No, not at all!" Poppy sounded panicked. "I left him with Pinky, Devon and Carrie!"

"Wait. Did you ask if 'one of them' could watch him?"

"Yeah…"  
"If there's no specification, they just assume that one of them is watching him. Then they all go off. Ta-da! Unsupervised Palmer." Perry handed Palmer back to her. "You two had better get out of here before…"

"Going somewhere?" Asked Dennis, poking his head around Poppy.

"No." Perry said. "I was just telling Poppy to leave."

Dennis shoved Poppy and Palmer inside. He pulled out his raygun. "All the rogues told me I should rid myself of you. I was about ready to tell them otherwise."

"Poppy and Palmer have nothing to do with this." Perry insisted.

"Ever heard of the term 'guilty by association'?" Dennis snapped.

"Do whatever you want with me." Perry said. "Kill me. Lock me back up here. But let them go. You promised you'd leave Palmer alone."  
"Did I?" Dennis backed them against the wall. "I remember we had more of an agreement, not so much a promise. I wouldn't touch a single hair on that baby's head as long as you remained here. That was our agreement. Since you have expressed an interest to leave…" He sighed. "I suppose I'll just have to cancel our agreement."

"Run." Perry grabbed Palmer with one hand and Poppy with the other and tore away from Dennis.

Dennis blasted after them. He knocked Perry to the ground and held the raygun against him.

"Goodbye." He whispered.

Perry fought to break free. He shoved his leg into Dennis' belly.

Dennis fell back, trying to recover his breath.

Perry followed Poppy and Palmer into the O.W.C.A memorial building nearby to hide.

It was only logical that Dennis stuck his one-room prison near the memorial. It was a room of statues of all the agents that had gone rogue.

Perry pointed at the statue of his father, Percy. "Hide."

Poppy ran behind it and stood in the same position as the statue so she wouldn't be visible from the front.

Perry got behind her and did the same. "Where's Palmer?"

Palmer was wandering among the statues, sniffing the floor in search of food.

"Psst!" Perry hissed. "Palmer! Come here!"

Palmer came bounding over.

"Time to do your mimicking thing. Do what mommy's doing. And do it quietly."  
Palmer hesitated for a moment.

"Come on, Pal. Try."

Palmer stood behind his parents and copied their pose.

Dennis was in the room half a second later. "All right, where are you?" He growled.

He approached his statue. "There's a handsome rogue." He commented. "They made my ears too big, though."

He paced for a few minutes. Then he grabbed his raygun and shot down a statue of Greg the gorilla.

"I must have lost them." He muttered to himself. He left the building.

Perry got out from behind the Percy statue. Palmer stayed close to him.

"There's a high-security agency in Colorado." Poppy said quietly.

"I'm aware." Perry said.

"Palmer and I will be safe there."  
Perry turned to look at her. "You're leaving?"

"As long as Dennis is after us, he can't be safe here. You aren't, either."

"I manage."

"Come with us." Poppy begged. "We can stay together. You can help me raise Palmer."

Perry shook his head. "I've been away from home too long already."

"We can find a new home."

"Phineas and Ferb need me."

Poppy looked over at Palmer. Then she nodded slowly. "See us off tomorrow, then."

She picked up Palmer and left.

Perry sat down underneath the Percy statue for a while.

It was silent.

p***

"It took like an hour to get that guy to let us on a plane." Poppy said. She sat down next to Palmer.

Palmer was very interested in the airport. He was able to see so many different people. And chew so many different shoes and purses. And hear so many different screams when he chewed those shoes and purses.

Finally he settled down in the plastic chair next to his mother.

Perry hadn't spoken to either of them since they'd arrived. He hadn't been feeling good all day. He wasn't sick, though. He didn't know what was bothering him.

A woman walked by. Palmer chomped down on a loose string on her purse.

The woman kept going. The string got longer as the purse started to unravel.

"Palmer, let go!" Perry whispered.

Palmer growled happily.

The woman's purse became detached from the handles and fell.

Perry tugged the string out of Palmer's mouth. "You do not want her to know you did that."

Palmer clapped his paws.

"Are you sure you're not coming?" Poppy asked.

"I have to stay." Perry looked at the ground.

Palmer climbed into his lap and curled up. "Dad-ie."

Perry felt a lump form in his throat. He bit his tongue to keep from crying.

"All passengers on board." Said a voice through the speakers.

"We have to go." Poppy stood up and grabbed Palmer.

"Take care." Perry managed to say.

Poppy walked Palmer over to the boarding line.

Perry watched them, hundreds of thoughts flooding his mind at once. They were almost at the front of the line now.

"Love ya." Perry called.

Poppy smiled a little. Then she ran over to him and gave him a hug.

"You take care of yourself, John Adams."

"Same for you, Marilyn."

Poppy kissed him on the cheek and went back to Palmer. She waved as they vanished through the gate door.

A small animal in a trenchcoat that hid his face and a cap showed his boarding pass to a flight attendant.

"You may not be allowed on here." The woman said.

"Poppy got in." Snapped the animal.

The woman led him through, even though she obviously hadn't understood.

Perry went over to the window, watching the plane. It hadn't taken off yet.

It would be an interesting flight. Three animals on a plane.

Perry thought back. How had that random animal known Poppy's name, anyway?

He ran back toward the boarding line.

"You have a ticket?" asked the flight attendant.

Perry shoved her to the ground and ran on the plane. The door closed behind him a second later.

He pushed his way toward the back until he caught sight of the two platypuses.

"Dad-ie!" Palmer said excitedly.

"He's not here-" Poppy began. "Perry?"

"You guys have to get off of here." Perry whispered. "Dennis is here."  
"Did you change your mind? Are you coming?"

"Dennis! On the plane!" Perry repeated.

Poppy's eyes widened. "But…"

"I didn't know you were Colorado-bound." Dennis snarled, shoving Perry out of the way. "It doesn't matter, anyways. The pilot has just had a very unfortunate need for an hour's nap. This plane is staying in Danville."  
He grabbed Palmer and made a dash for the front.

Perry chased after him. He tried to think of what to do. He couldn't jump Dennis, that might hurt Palmer. He needed to get Palmer out of the way…

"Palmer!" Perry shouted, between breaths. "Fluffy!" He pointed at Dennis' tail.

Palmer looked down. He chomped on the fluffy.

"Agh!" Dennis yelled, releasing Palmer from his grasp.

"This is your copilot speaking." Said the intercom.

Palmer hung onto Dennis' tail with his teeth.

"Since our pilot seems to have fainted, I'll be flying you to Colorado."

The plane started to rise.

"You little brat!" Dennis shouted, trying to shake Palmer off.

Perry caught up to them and punched Dennis.

Palmer let go of the fluffy and walked lazily toward the front of the plane, his interest lost.

Dennis slammed Perry against one of the seats. Then he stared to his left.

He was getting an idea. Perry knew that look.

Dennis snatched Perry up and carried him toward the front. Perry tried to bite him, but his mouth wasn't close enough to Dennis' arm. His struggling seemed to have no effect.

Palmer was waiting for them near the plane door. "Hai dad-ie." He said, unaware of the situation.

"YOUR daddy saved you from this once." Dennis hissed into Perry's ear. "But I don't see him here now. Your fate is in the hands of that BABY."

"Bay-bie." Palmer said.

Dennis turned the crank on the plane door, threw it open, and held Perry out with his fist.

Perry grimaced. The wind really hurt his ears.

"Goodbye, Perry the platypus. Perhaps you'll land on a nice condo."

He released his grasp. Perry started to fall.

He clutched onto the side of the plane and curled up to protect himself from the strong wind.

"Dad-ie." Palmer held his paw out to Perry.

"No." Perry held on tighter. "Go get mommy."

Palmer looked devastated.

Dennis started to laugh. "You can't hold on forever."

Palmer moved himself so that he was behind Dennis. Then he shoved him.

"GAAH!" Dennis tumbled out of the plane.

Perry watched, horrified, as his enemy plunged down.

Palmer waved to Dennis. "Bye bye."

Perry carefully maneuvered himself back into the plane. He was freezing.

He closed the door again and turned to face Palmer, who was innocently looking up at him.

"Thank you." Perry said quietly.

He felt terrible. He hated Dennis. Lots. But seeing him fall to his doom was something else.

Palmer was finally safe, though.

That was all that mattered.

p***

"Tell us what happened!" Pinky begged.

The agents were all crowded around a huge party table filled with different cakes. Poppy and Perry had the seats of honor.

"Not much." Perry hadn't touched his plate.

"Cakie!" Palmer, who had been sitting on the table, mashed his paw into Perry's slice.

"Don't be so modest, Perry." Poppy patted him on the head. "You helped save Palmer. And any other innocent agents who may have been involved."

"Agent P?" Brandon the bulldog said. "Can I see you a minute?"  
Perry followed Brandon into a private room.

"You're not celebrating." Brandon said.

"I never liked parties." Perry looked away.

"That's not why you're not celebrating. You're upset because of what happened to Dennis."

Perry hung his head.

"Nothing to be ashamed of. You've got a really good heart. You can't find too many people who would feel sorry for a terrible enemy." Brandon gave him a tiny smile. "So I asked you here to tell you not to worry. Dennis is fine. He had a parachute with him. He landed right in our prison."

"He's alive?"  
"Alive and well. But he won't be bothering you anytime soon. Go on back to your party now."

Perry nodded. "Thanks. I feel a lot better."

"Don't mention it. And keep up the good work, agent."

p***

"You're sure you don't want to stay with me? Phineas and Ferb are awesome."

"Three's a crowd." Poppy said. "There is such a thing as too many platypuses."

"You and Palmer are going to be fine in this old shack, then?"

"It's an abandoned garage. And I'll fix it up. It looks bad now, but I promise you, it will be gorgeous once I'm done with it." Poppy placed her suitcase inside the filthy garage.

Palmer walked over to it and chewed on the zippers.

"I'll be seeing you soon, then." Perry said.

"As often as you like. We'll be settled in a couple weeks. Come by next Thursday?"

"Sure."

"It won't be too much trouble?"

"Not as much as Palmer." Perry joked. "Heck no. You guys are closer to my place than O.W.C.A's main headquarters." He gave her a hug. "See ya, Pal."

"Bye-bye!" Palmer beamed.

p***

Perry lay down in his pet bed. Phineas and Ferb were overjoyed to have him back.

Even Carlos had said, "I'm so glad to see you!" when Perry hammered his stomach.

He rolled over onto his back and stared at the ceiling. So much had happened in the past few weeks.

And so much would continue to happen.

But one thing was for sure: Perry was going to destroy Carlos again one day.


End file.
